Page 283 - Our Vanishing Wild Life

HOW TO MAKE A NEW GAME LAW 261
of the fine imposed; and a sentence at iiard labor should be the first optionofthecourt! Manyarichandrecklesspoachersnapshisfingersat fines ; but a sentence to hard labor would strike terror to the heart of the most brazen of them. To all such men, "labor" is the twin terror to "death."
The Introduction of a Bill.—Much wisdom is called for in the selection of legislative champions for wild-life bills. It is possible to state here only the leading principles involved.
Of course it is best to look for an introducer within the political partythatisinthemajority. Amanwhohasmanyimportantbillson his hands is bound to give his best attention to his own pet measures; anditisbesttochooseamanwhoisnotalreadyoverloaded. Ifaman hasahostofenemies,passhimby. Byallmeanschooseamanwhose high character and good name will be a tower of strength to your cause andifnecessary,waitforhimtomakeuphismind. Mr.LawrenceW. Trowbridge waited three long and anxious -weeks in the hope that Hon. George A. Blauvelt would finally consent to champion the Bayne bill intheNewYorkAssembly. AtlastMr.Blauveltconsentedtotakeit up; and the time spent in waiting for his decision was a grand invest- ment ! He was the Man of all men to pilot that bill through the Assembly.
Very often the "quiet man" of a legislative body is a good man to championanewanddrasticmeasure. Thequietmanwhomakesup his mind to take hold of " a hard bill to pass " often astonishes the natives byhisabilitytogetresults. RepresentativeJohnF.Lacey,ofIowa,made his name a household word all over the United States by the quiet, steady, tireless and finally resistless energy with which for three long years in Congress he worked for "the Lacey bird bill." For years his colleagues laughed at him, and cheerfully voted down his bill. But he persisted. His cause steadily gained in strength; and his final triumph laid the axe at the root of a thousand crimes against wild life, throughout the length and breadth of this land. He rendered the people of America a service that entitles him to our everlasting gratitude and remembrance.
After the Introduction of a Bill.—As soon as a bill is introduced itisreferredtoacommittee,tobeexaminedandreportedupon. Ifthere is opposition,—and to every bill that really does something worth while there always is opposition,—then there is a "hearing." The committee appoints a day, when the friends and foes of the bill assemble, and ex- press their views.
The week preceding a hearing is your busy week. Yovi must plan your campaign, down to the smallest details. Pick the men whom you wish to have speak (for ten minutes each) on the various parts of your bill, anddividethetopicsandthetimebetweenthem. Calluponthe friends of the bill in various portions of the state to attend and "say something." Go up with a strong body of fine men. Have as many organizations represented as you possibly can! The "organizations" represent the great mass of people, and the voters also.
When you reach the hearing, hand to your bill's champion, who v.nl\
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